Reinforced seam



July 6, 1943. A, R w

REINFORCED SEAM Filed March 4, 1941 Alfi-ed R. %0d

Patented July 6, 1943 REINFORCED SEAM Alfred R. Wood, Bridgeport, Conn,assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. .L, acorporation of New Jersey Application March 4, 1941, Serial N0. 381,619

2 Claims.

This invention relates to seams for stitched articles and is directedespecially to seams for closing the opposite ends of a binding or hem ofa body-material.

Heretofore it has been common practice in the manufacture of articlescomposed of knitted fabric, such for example as hospital sheets and thelike, to apply a split tube binding of the same type of knitted fabricabout each of the opposite raw edges of the article by means of acovering-stitch sewing machine fitted with an appropriate bind ingattachment. In stitching the binding strip to the body-material thebinding strip is extended for a short distance beyond each of the sideedges of the body-material to provide pro-- jecting binding ends.Subsequently one end of the article is placed in a suitable tacking machine which applies a lin of zigzag stitches transversely of the bindingstrip and along a line substantially in register with the side edge ofthe body-material. At the completion of the tacking operation and whilethe article is still in the tacking machine a cutter mechanism embodiedin the machine is operated to sever the binding strip closely adjacentthe line of tacking stitches.

The article produced by the above described method is acceptable when itis first completed.

l-lowever, after repeated laundering the closing seam of the bin-dingstrip frequently becomes permanently deformed, inasmuch as the knittedbinding strip ofiers. little resistance to the trans verse stretchingthereof. This permanent deformation results in an unsightly closing seamand consequently lowers the quality of the finished article.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providea reinforced seam adapted for closing the open ends of a knitted bindingor hem of an extensible body-material, which seam possesses considerableresistance to any permanent deformation resulting from excessive strainsapplied lengthwise of the seam.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a simplebut highly efficient method of producing a reinforced seam adaptedparticularly for closing the open ends of a binding or a hem.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingof a preferred embodi ment of the invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawing, which shows by way of illustration one embodiment of thepresent invention, Fig. 1 shows the article in the process ofmanufacture with the binding strip being stitched to the body-materialand the reinforcing strip properly positioned within the folded bindingstrip for securement to the body-material.

Fig. 2 illustrates the article after the completion of thebinding-securing stitches, showing in dotted lines the reinforcing stripsecured along its lower edge to the body-material by thebinding-securing stitches.

Fig. 3 illustrates the article after the completion of the transverseline of superposed zigzag stitches employed for closing the open end oft binding.

Fig. 4 represents the completed article after the extended end of thebinding strip and superfluous portion of the reinforcing strip have beensevered from the article.

Fig. 5 represents an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5,Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the presentinvention as applied to a hem of a body-material.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the invention is shown asembodied in an article comprising a body-material l of knitted orextensible fabric having secured about its raw edge 2 preferably by asuitable covering seam 3 a knitted binding strip 4 having its marginaledges in contact with the opposite faces of the bodymaterial I.Interposed between the two plies of the binding strip 4 is a reinforcingpiece or section 5 consisting of buckram or the like, the lower edge 6of which rests upon the marginal edge 2 of the body-material I and isstitched thereto by the covering seam 3. Disposed transversely of thebinding strip 4 and in a line substantially in register with the sideedge 1 of the body-material l is a row of zigzag stitches 8 whichpenetrate the two plies of the binding strip 4 and the reinforcing piece5 to close and finish off the end of the binding.

The reinforcing piece 5 preferably is approximately the same width asthe binding strip 4. In the completed seam, see Fig. 4, the reinforcingpiece functions to take up any strain which might be applied to the lineof zigzag stitches 8 lengthwise thereof and thereby prevents permanentdeformation of the knitted binding strip 4 adjacent the line of zigzagstitches 8. Also the reinforcing 'piece 5, being secured between thebodymaterial I and one of the plies of the binding strip 4 by thestitches 3 and between the two plies of the binding strip 4 by thezigzag stitches 8, provides stiffening for the end of the bindingstrip4, thereby maintaining the end of the binding substantially fiat and itsclosed end in substantial register with the side edge 1 of thebodymaterial I.

The construction of the novel reinforced seam is such as to lend itselfto convenient production with the aid of high speed sewing machines.Referring to Fig. 1 it will be understood that the binding strip 4 canbe stitched to the body-material l by a commercial sewing machine of thetype disclosed in the U. S. Patents to G. S. Gatchell, Nos. 1,335,374and 1,479,907, issued Mar. 30, 1920, and Jan. 8, 1924, respectively. Inusing such a sewing machine, a common form of binding attachment isfitted thereon which folds the binding strip 5 into substantiallyU-shape and about the raw edge 2 of the body-material l and directs theWork thus arranged to the stitching mechanism. At the proper time in thestitching cycle, the pre-cut reinforcing piece 5 is introduced betweenthe plies of the binding strip 4 so that it to the work-clamp of atacking machine of the type disclosed in my pending application, SerialNo. 335,935, filed May 18, 1940. This machine effects the production ofthe transverse line of zigzag stitches 8 shown in Fig. 3. In performingits stitching operation, the sewing machine disclosed in the above notedapplication begins its stitching at the point A in Fig. 3 and proceedstransversely of the binding strip 4 up to point B, where it reverses andlays upon the first line of zigzag stitches a second line of zigzagstitches terminating at point A. Immediately upon the completion of thestitching operation the cutting mechanism with which the machine isfitted is automatically actuated to cut the binding strip 4 and thereinforcing piece 5 along a line C, see Fig. 3, which is closelyadjacent the line of stitching 8. The finished article is shown in Fig.4.

While the method above described involves the use of specific types ofcommercial sewing machines, it is to be understood that other types ofsewing machines may be employed in practicing the method, or the sewingoperations may be performed by hand. In effecting the production of theseam illustrated in Fig. 6, the marginal por-- tion of the body-materialis edge-folded or hemmed instead of being enclosed by a bindingstrip.Whether or not the raw edge of the bodymaterial is enclosed by a bindingstrip or is edgefolded or hemmed, there is provided a flattened tubularportion having opened ends which must be properly closed. The presentinvention is applicable to any case wherein the edge-portion thereof isof tubular form.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

l. The method of finishing a stitched article of the class describedincluding the steps of applying a binding about the end of abody-material and securing the same with a line of stitching,positioning Within said binding a piece of reinforcing material of lesslength than said binding and stitching the same along one of its edgesto said body-material with the line of stitches which secures thebinding, applying a line of tacking stitches through said binding andreinforcing material transversely of said binding and in substantialregister with a side edge of said bodymaterial, and cutting said bindingand reinforcing material closely adjacent the line of tacking stitches.

2. An article of the class described comprising a bodymaterial, abinding of extensible material enveloping one end of and contacting theopposite faces of said body-material, a reinforcing piece of less lengththan said binding disposed within the binding and having one of itsedges overlapping the enveloped end of said body-material, said bindingand reinforcing piece terminating in substantial register with eachother, a line of stitches securing said binding to said bodymaterial andpenetrating the two plies of said binding, the body-material and saidreinforcing piece, and a line of tacking stitches penetrating the twoplies of the binding and the reinforcing piece and overlapping the endof said line of stitches which secures said binding to saidbodymaterial.

ALFRED R. WOOD.

